Kendrick Lamar just went “Back To Back” on Drake.
Mr. Morale returned fire on the OVO Sound boss’ pair of disses (“Push Ups” and AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle“) with a pair of his own—doubling down on his hater energy by sharing “6:16 in LA” on Friday. Preceded by the jaw-dropping “Euphoria” just days prior, here’s a quick breakdown of Dot’s disses.
6:16 in LA (May 3)
Lamar’s latest is a scathing barrage of bars that are the knockout shot fans were waiting for. The “quadruple entendre” Drake begged Dot to bring forth on “Taylor Made Freestyle” appears on a timestamp record—a jab at Drizzy’s signature titles—referencing a slew of parallels from Drake’s life and career.
It’s clear Dot has taken the lead in this rap beef with bars that seemingly expose the OVO camp’s integrity. “Have you ever thought that OVO is working for me? / Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it,” Lamar raps. “If you was street smart, you woulda caught your entourage is only to hussle you / 100 guy that you got on salary, and 20 of them want you as the casualty / It’s time you look around and see who’s really around you.”
The song samples Al Green’s “What A Wonderful Thing Love Is,” a track where Drake’s uncle Mabon “Teenie” Hodges played guitar on, and features production from Taylor Swift’s go-to producer Jack Antonoff. A “Taylor Made” track on a timestamp record—how much more disrespectful can you get? Whether it’s the blatant comparison to OJ Simpson (“if the doesn’t glove fit, you must acquit”), or Lamar pouring more fuel onto the fire, things are about to get real interesting as Drake readies his response.
Euphoria (April 30)
Produced by Kyuro and CARDOGOTWINGS, “Euphoria” proves to be a blitzing array of jabs and hooks aimed at the OVO Sound boss—seemingly letting out frustrations pent-up over a decade of closed-door sneak disses. “I know they call you the boy, but where is the man? Cuz I ain’t seen him yet,” Lamar tears off amongst a handful of eye-popping lines, addressing his prior feud with Pusha T, relationship with J. Cole, calling Drake a “scam artist” and admittedly, being his “biggest hater.”
Mr. Morale‘s rebuttal came 17 days after Drake’s initial leak of “Push Ups” earlier in April. “Euphoria,” described in its cover art, is “a feeling of well-being or elation” indicates that Lamar feels unbothered by Drizzy’s disses—welcoming all the smoke with open arms. “It ain’t a 20v1 it’s 1v20 if I gotta smack the n***s that write with you,” Lamar proclaims, combatting Drake’s “what is this a 20v1?” bar on “Push Ups”—once again bringing his authenticity as a lyricist into question.
So who’s winning the beef?
As far as how this plays out for the remainder of the 2024 rap war, Dot and Drake are neck-and-neck; going blow for blow with lines that pack a punch on their respective disses. Drake even mentions that he has more in store as this beef continues to sizzle, however, he was forced to scrub “Taylor Made Freestyle” (which featured AI-generated verses from Lamar’s idols in Snoop Dogg and 2PAC) from his social media accounts due to a lawsuit threat from 2Pac’s estate. Yet, Lamar’s “6PM in LA” put him over the edge. The ball is in Drake’s court entirely with K-Dot firmly holding onto the lead.
Both MCs are still at the very top of their game, with “Push Ups” debuting at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month. Lamar’s “Euphoria” peaked at No. 1 on Apple Music, and should find its way on the Hot 100 as well. Amid recent full-length efforts in MM&TBS and For All The Dogs, nothing compares to the firepower Dot and Drizzy are trading off at this moment. After all, hip-hop is a competitive sport—don’t expect either of these rap GOATs to let off the gas anytime soon.
Listen to “Euphoria” below!